abstract
| - Zahirism (Majatran: ظاهرية Ẓāhirīyyah) is a heterodox offshoot of Abadi Ahmadism emerging in 37th century Wantuni in response to the rise of the contested Razamid Caliphate. Zahiris are distinguished from Abadis by their belief in the office of the Imam (lit. "Leader"), the spiritual and political successor to Prophet Ahmad. More specifically Zahiris accept Zahir al-Muntadhir, a 37th century Majatran from Wantuni, as the rightful Imam in opposition to the usurper Caliph Khalid I, and they believe that al-Muntadhir is still alive and his return will herald the end of the world. In mainstream Abadism the terms Caliph and Imam are used interchangeably to refer to the rightful ruler of the Ahmadi community and the successor to the Prophet, and although the Caliph needs to be from the prophetic family and is divinely appointed to his office, all members of the Afnan ("branches", Ahmad's descendants) have an equal right of being appointed Caliph by being elected to the office by a Kurultai. Zahiris on the other hand believe that the rightful Imams have been chosen by divine decree in a patrilineal line of descent from the Prophet, and that only these Imams have the right to be Caliphs, meaning that all other Caliphs, whether elected by a Kurultai or not, are usurpers of the Caliphate. Zahir al-Muntadhir, born Zahir ibn Yaqub al-Wantuni, son of Yaqub al-Wantuni and Tahira, an Asli servant, is believed to be a direct male descendant of Ahmad and the Last Imam or the Muntadhir ("Awaited One"). He was born in the 37th century and is still alive, and will one day return to fulfill the eschatological expectations of Ahmadism; he will rule for 29 years before the Day of Judgement and will rid the world of all evil. Caliph Khalid I is believed to be a usurper of the Caliphate as the Razamids are only indirectly descended from the Prophet. Moreover, Khalid I is believed to have fulfilled the apocalyptic prophecies concerning the False Caliph, an anti-messianic figure awaited at the end of the world as the culmination of injustice and tyranny, and who according to a number of hadiths is believed to arise from the House of Razama. However, although his rise heralded the Day of Judgement, God's mercy postponed the end of the world and preternaturally granted Zahir al-Muntadhir a long life in hiding, until the world is prepared to accept the rule of the Last Imam.
|